The Birth of Devotion
by J. Coburn
Summary: The forge world of Hargo III is under attack by the renegade marines: The Lords of Dusk. The loyalist The Stalkers chapter, 4th company has come to aid, but they are too late. most of the planet has been leveled. 4th company is slaughtered leaving only the company champion Kalkos to fight. It is the end of hope and the birth of devotion.
1. Ashes and Cinders

The bodies lay on the ground, burning. The sky was black as death. The ground was turned to ash. No living thing was left alive. None but Kalkos. He stood within the smoldering ashes of destruction. His massive body cloak was wrapped around his hulking frame. The edges were torn and tattered. His sand colored power armor was scratched and the paint was chipping. He kept his cowl pulled over his helmet. Kalkos began to walk forwards. His trusted bolter in his hands. He stepped over the burning bodies of his fallen brothers. He would make the traitors suffer. He marched towards the eerie glow of the chaos energies in the north.

The Stalkers Space Marine chapter, fourth company, arrived at the planet known as Hargo III, a forge world. Both the Imperial and Mechanicus residents were under assault by the the archenemy. The Lords of Dusk, traitor Astartes that have plagued the world for over four years. When The Stalkers arrived, they saw that they were late. Most of the hives and forges had been levels or damaged beyond saving. The Imperial Guard regiments, the Riding Furies and the 497th Black Bears, suffered heavy losses. The war was a lost one, but the Astartes were stronger than the mortals and challenged the traitors. Despite the odds, The Stalkers would hunt down the enemy until every last one was dead.


	2. The End of Hope

The rain never seemed to stop. The sound was like hail inside the flyer. Little impacts of small drops filled the inside of the hull. The passengers were quiet. Not one of them speaking. Each somewhere in their own minds. The sound of the flyer's landing gear touching ground signaled them into life. The hatch opened and the passengers pooled out.

The pilot looked back at them. He then hesitantly spoke up. "About my payment..." He trailed off. A man wearing a large faded green coat stopped. The collars of his coat were tall and blocked most of his face. The coat was trimmed in gold. It was old and well worn. The pilot could tell that the man had worn it for ages. The base was split upwards one foot. Even though it was worn out, the coat was in perfect condition. The man turned towards the pilot and slowly approached him.

The man wore silver breastplate made of ceramite and had a saber and pistol at his hip. He wore dark tanned pants that had silver chains looping through the fabric. His boots were black as coal and had small cuffs at the top. he also wore gloves that looked back but upon closer inspection, they were in fact a shade of brown. The man's hair was cropped short and slicked back. He had a goatee that was sharp like some design of a devil. His brow line was low and stern. His eyes were piercing and made the pilot quiver in his seat. The man approached the pilot and dug his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to the man. The pilot opened it and looked up at the man.

"Th-this is too much, my lord."

The man continued to stare at him. "It is for the sake of silence."

"Who are you?"

The man in the coat smiled. "The Inquisition." He then turned a left the flyer. The pilot nearly defecated himself. The pilot quickly closed the ramp and made a hasty take off. One of the men accompanying the Inquisitor smiled.

"You sure do love scaring them don't you?" He remarked rather than asked.

The Inquisitor grinned. "Might as well have a little fun while we're here."

I held the goblet to his mouth and drank deeply. Summervale wine was his favorite. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the man sitting in front of the cogitator screens. He was short and lean. He had a clean, shaven face that was handsome and made him look like a noble of some sort. He wore spectacles on his face. His hair was layered and blonde. It hung just above his shoulders. He wore a coat of regal blue with gold epaulettes on his shoulders. His cuffs were white with emerald cufflinks. He had a darker shade of orange breeches on with white knee socks. His shoes were black with gold rims. They were pointed and came up to mid shin. He was eating a blue fruit of some kind. He called them hornings. The man's name was Issack Gregory. He was my technical specialist that I picked up on one of my endeavours.

I put the goblet down on a small stool. We, being my team and I, were hold up in a large apartment complex overlooking the city of Kiliihn. It was over three stories high and had three sections to it. The main lobby area, the bath house, and the living quarter. I was in one of the living quarters with Issack.

In the room across the hall was my acolyte, Tarvin. He was a tall man, thick bodied and well toned. He had an augmented eye in place of his right. A metal face mask replaced his mouth. The grill had complex mechanisms that allowed him to breathe in toxic air like it was oxygen. It also had a vox caster placed inside so that he may speak. He wore a black shirt made of leather. He also wore a coat during field work. It was a blood red and it had a hood he could use. Other than that, it was plain. He wore grey slacks. His shins and feet were covered by sabatons made of ceramite. His arms were covered in ceramite gauntlets. He favored the longlas and the Executioner, a high caliber handgun that was capable of ripping apart ceramite with only five shots. He was in his room cleaning his longlas that he named Spitter. It was a strange name for a gun. It was much more powerful than any lasrifle. It had the strength of a small lascannon.

In the bath house another one of my "associates" was located. Her name was Eve, and she was special. She had no presence in the warp. No soul to feast on, the countermeasure to psykers and daemons. She was a pariah. Eve was my little jewel. I kept her near me at all times when dealing with eldar or psykers. Even though I had a telekine block around my neck, you could never be too sure. She was an innocent thing. Eve was young, about eighteen. She had long black hair that went to her knees. She had a natural parting in her hair on the left side of her head. Most of her bangs hung down over her face and stopped at her hips. her left eye was the only one exposed. Disappointingly she had small breasts but underneath her hair she was one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. It was a shame that she was cursed with her anti-witch aura, or is that a blessing. The girl was a queer one. She had a habit of wearing nothing but a nightgown that was too big for her so it dragged on the floor and got caught on everything.

The last member of my party was a psyker. His name was Darek. His head was clean and shaven. He had brown muttonchops on his face. He wore a grey trench coat and beige colored bodyglove. He had a belt with a bolt pistol holster. He also had a device called a pinwheel. It launched hundreds of tiny needles that he controlled with his mind. Each needle was made of adamantine. His boots had anti-grav projectors on the soles. He was my search dog. Due to conflicting interaction between him and Eve, the girl had to wear a limiter when he was around.

We were following a lead that apparently would take them to a recently undiscovered xeno artifact. It was some sort of pillar. I had Issack run through the local Administratum's systems to make sure that the geological location was correct. Meanwhile, the rest of us were relaxing before the long hike out to nowhere. When I was about to refill my glass Issack stared at the screen in front of himself.

"Uh, sir, I've got the location pinpointed." He said in his calm steady voice.

I frowned. This took him back.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

I nodded my head. "I couldn't get myself another glass."

Issack smirked.

I stood up and tossed the empty goblet down. "Tell Tarvin and Darek that we're heading out. I'll get Eve."

Issack stood up. "Oh? Taking Eve for yourself?"

I stared at him.

"Okay it was a joke."

I shook my head. "She may be the cutest one among you four but I harbor no feelings for her. My heart-"

"-belongs to Sevra Quets, yes yes I know." He finished for me. "It is a damn shame though," He continued. "You know Eve practically never stops thinking about you."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Yes, yes I know. Poor thing."

I then left the room and Issack crossed the hall way. I climbed down the steps and entered the lobby area. Sevra Quets is a, scratch that, was a rogue trader until her ship was destroyed by a Night Lords Battle Barge. Luckily I found her and saved her from rotting on some foul water world. Ever since, I have employed her as the captain of my own cruiser The Drifting Jewel. We quickly fell madly in love with each other. Eve, even though she is pretty, she is a pariah. Whenever I get close to her, I feel intense dread and sorrow. I could never love something like that. I also love older women.

I reached the bath house quickly and walked into the female baths. I saw Eve sitting in fetal position, hugging her knees. She sat there unmoving even at my entrance. I walked over and knelt down.

"We are heading out, Eve." I said in a low tone. "Issack has located the xeno pillar and we are heading out now. So get dressed."

Eve sat in the same position, unmoving.

I sighed in frustration. "You can ride with me in the crawler."

The ride was very uncomfortable. I stood behind the driver's seat with Issack at the wheel. Eve sat on the floor next to me in the fetal position. She wore a tight, black bodyglove instead of her usual nightgown. The rest of the crew was buckled in the back of the crawler we requisitioned from a local mine.

Issack began to slow down and eventually stop. He pushed a few buttons here and there and eventually turned around. "Ladies and gents, we have arrived at the xeno pillar's location at approximately midday with a one-hundred percent chance of rain and piss poor weather conditions. Please unfasten your seat belts and prepare for a lovely picnic in the rain."

"Shut up, Issack." Said Tarvin as he unfastened the protective harness around his chest. The rest of my team did the same.

Issack scowled at Tarvin. "Tarvy Tarvy, must you always be so serious?"

Tarvin grabbed Spitter and looked at Issack. "Because we are here to do the Emperor's business, not parade around like some petulant child."

I shook my head and grabbed a chain connecting to a collar wrapped around Eve's neck. I then tugged on it. "Come, Eve. Come here. That's a good girl." I said as she crawled over to me and finally stood up. I patted her head. She smiled and made a quiet moan. We then left the crawler behind us as we walked outside. The rain beat down on us like a waterfall. In the rocky distance we could see a massive pillar. It was roughly forty meters in height and eight in width. The surface was a deep red with white trimming. A massive triangle shaped eye was on the sides of the pillar. Each eye had a triangle shaped pupil with sunken sides.

"The walls are so smooth and flawless." Issack said with genuine amazement. I noticed this too. Other than the massive eye on each side, they were completely smooth.

Tarvin aimed his scope down at the pillar's base and hissed at us. "We have some friends that made it before us."

I looked at the base of the pillar and saw nothing. We were too far away. "They must be the expedition leaders." I said. We had arranged for biologists and geologists to help us with the local environment and rock formations.

Tarvin shook his head. "I don't recall scientists needing lascarbines."

"How many are there?" I asked, drawing my bolt pistol while I latched Eve to my belt.

"Twelve, six armed with lascarbines, four with autoguns, most likely small caliber, and two xenos."

"Xenos?"

Tarvin nodded. "Yes, unknown species, to me at least."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small spyglass. I zoomed in on the base of the pillar. I saw men wearing black robes wielding the previously noted firearms. At first I thought them un armored but they were wearing steel plated breastplates, boots and gauntlets. Each man had a metal sheet nailed over their eyes. I looked upwards and saw the alien scum. They were tall and well muscled. They had red-orange skin with bristles coming out of their forearms and legs. A huge mane of spines and bristles came out of their backs. The same triangle eye of the pillar rested on their heads. The iris was a pale green. They wore no clothes. Their necks were at a natural forty-five degree angle. Their heads were rectangular. The jaw of each was strong and looked like they could easily crush rocks. They had no weapons. I had no idea what these xenos were. They matched no recorded xeno species the Imperium has ever encountered.

I lowered the spyglass and glared at the distant enemy. "We need to collect a sample corpse for studying." I said. "Tarvin, you find a good spot to cover us. Issack, you take the left flank and wait for my command. Darek you take front and center, you will cause chaos and distract the enemy. I will take right flank with Eve. Move."

With my orders received, they went their separate ways. I ran down a rock face and ran towards the right hand side of the pillar front. I activated Eve's limiter and readied my power saber. Eve sat next to me, playing with the rocks. I watched the closest robed human. He was holding his auto rifle close to his chest like it was a newborn. I aimed my bolt pistol and waited.

In a few moments, one of the men screamed a unnatural howl and fired his lascarbine. He felled four of his friends before being killed himself. I screamed out my command to move and leapt from cover. I fired a shot into the man I was watching. His chest exploded in a shower of gore. Eve stood as well, making a strange warcry that sounded more like pathetic attempt of surprise, throwing rocks at the men, causing them to cover their faces. I fired two more shots into the enemy, killing each.

While this happened, Tarvin fired a shot from Spitter. The lance of energy shot completely threw a robed woman's chest. Darek arose and shot his hands forwards. A man in front of him flew backwards and erupted against the side of the pillar. The remaining three managed to get to cover. The xenos then took over the fighting.

I held my saber at the ready, preparing a thrust. The xenos walked calmly towards us. What happened next shocked me.

"Surrender your weapons now and we shall spare you a painful death."

They spoke in fluent high gothic. A xeno species that man has never encountered before today. The voice was deep and full of wisdom. Even thought they looked like brutes, they clearly had intelligence.

I cleared my throat and whispered into my comm-bead. "New objective, capture one alive. Understood?"

My team gave their acknowledgement and readied themselves again. Tarvin fired a shot into the alien that spoke. The shot went straight through the beast's left pectoral. It staggered and glared at Tarvin through the scope.

"So unwise." It said. It then leapt towards Tarvin. He quickly ran to the side and fired another shot. It stabbed through the aliens neck. The beast fell to the ground and lay there. The second one roared in anguish and turned towards me.

"Darek!" I cried out and fired a bolt into the xeno. The impact hit the thing in the abdomen. It grunted and ran at me. A long bone spike protruded from the aliens forearm. It was a meter in length and it was coarse. I side stepped and thrust forwards. The alien twisted around the attack and slammed it's left fist into my chest. I was knocked back several feet, Eve was dragged along with me. As I hit the ground I caught her.

"Darek! What in the warp are you doing!" I shouted.

"I can't touch it! something is stopping me!"

Could this thing be an untouchable like Eve? I shoved her over and swung in an uppercut motion. The xeno leapt back and ran forwards again. A rock came out and hit the beast in the face. It stopped and looked at Eve. Tervin was back in position and shot the beast in the back. It roared and glared at him. It then ran. Not towards us, but away. I watched it leave. I then remembered, where was Issack in all of this? I ran over to where he should have been and saw that he was unconscious. His foot was caught on a rock. I groaned and looked back at Eve.

"Are you alright, Eve?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She said, her voice so calm and sweet, and no louder than a whisper. I patted her on the head. I then approached Darek and Tarvin.

"We need to hunt that thing down." I said.

"The one I shot down is still alive." Tarvin said.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Good shooting."

Darek looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, milord."

I patted Darek's shoulder. "Don't apologise, you didn't know that they were untouchables. You did well with the initial strike."

I walked over to the fallen xeno. It was breathing heavily. Green blood oozed out of its wound. I had to know what these things were, I had to know their origin. I walked over to Eve and kissed her forehead. She blushed and looked up at me. I felt disgusted.

"You did very well today as well Eve. I'll let you play with Degos tonight."

Eve made a gleeful noise and clapped her hands. I wanted to hit her.

I began my trek to the crawler when I remembered something. "Tarvin, gather up Issack would you kindly?"


End file.
